A R.A.F.T. assignment that relies on persuasive writing techniques

Mark Teague's hilarious Dear Mrs. LaRue is the story of a dog, banished to obedience school, writing persuasive letters home to his owner.

Three-Sentence Overview of this Lesson:

Role

Audience

Format

Topic

Something that couldn't actually write a letter

Someone the chosen Role could complain to

A friendly letter

Persuade your Audience to behave differently

The writer will analyze and discuss the persuasive techniques used by Ike, the dog, in the friendly letters he sends home to his owner, Mrs LaRue. After reviewing the format of the friendly letter, writers will then plan to compose friendly (yet persuasive) letters between unusual letter-writers and letter-receivers. The interactive button game below will give writers many interesting options for this creative letter-writing activity. Teachers: Click here to see the entire lesson plan.

6-Trait Overview for this Lesson:

The focus trait in this writing assignment is voice; the writer's goal is to persuade the audience that is chosen, but also practice with techniques of humor...perhaps even sarcasm. The support trait in this assignment is word choice; strong word choices will be brainstormed before students begin writing their rough drafts.